Knowledge and Competency Framework

Minnesota’s Knowledge and Competency Framework (KCF) outlines what early childhood professionals need to know and what they need to do when delivering quality care. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) created the KCF in 2015 to replace the Minnesota Core Competencies and align with Board of Teaching Standards. While the KCF was designed to replace the Minnesota Core Competencies, many of the new KCF content areas align or overlap the Minnesota Core Competencies. Download the KCF Overview, which includes a chart that shows how the new KCF content areas align with the Minnesota Core Competencies and CDA content areas.

There are eight content areas (*seven for Family Child Care):

Child Development and Learning

Developmentally Appropriate Learning Experiences

Relationships with Families

Assessment, Evaluation and Individualization

Historical and Contemporary Development of Early Childhood Education

Professionalism

Health, Safety and Nutrition

Application through Clinical Experiences*

There are three versions you can download directly from the MDE website: